happy birthday, love

You make me laugh.

Your hugs are the best.

And you care about me. 

 

I'm so blessed that when we were just teenagers, well, older teenagers --- you knew first, then my Daddy knew, and I finally figured it out - we were meant to be! 

 

15 years later, the best part of every day is sharing it with YOU! 

There's no one else I'd rather do this life with than you.

 

Happy Birthday to the most special person in my world.
I love you, MORE!



a fantastic Friday

A few months ago, I won Gaither concert tickets in a contest on a local radio station.

These weren't just any tickets, but 2nd row tickets!!  SCORE!

The day of the concert arrived, Friday, November 16th.
That morning as I was preparing for work, Chris said, "Honey, if the day gets stressful, just think about seeing David Phelps tonight."  My husband knows me well!  :)
 

Chris and I left early that afternoon, enjoyed the trip down (1.5 hours away).
Snacked on boiled peanuts from our favorite stand,

shopped a little at the outlets,
and ate dinner at Sonic  (thanks to a friend who sent us a "congratulatory" gift card). 
We got a tad bit lost, because of our directions ... not actually lost - we just didn't drive far enough.  And then we arrived, only to realize the concert started at 7PM - not 7:30PM (pregnancy brain to blame).  So we took off "running" across the parking lot in the chilly night air, zooming in and out of all the old folks, or as Bill Gaither would say, "old friends."  Once inside, we discovered other peoples in our seat!!! -- so we had an usher politely inform them (we didn't want to be part of "knock-down-drag-out")
Of course, once we were in and seated, we thoroughly enjoyed the concert. 
The seats were PERFECT. 
And the church was a great venue for a concert ... slanted floor and comfy, roomy seats.
Baby can't "hear" yet ... but I'm sure he/she "felt" his/her first Gaither concert from the 2nd row seats.

The man behind it all, Bill Gaither, himself.

The Sisters -- awesome family harmony.

The Isaacs -- more tight family harmony and bluegrass.

The Martins -- more of the good, family harmonies!  (You just can't beat it)

And then my favorite appeared ....

None other than David Phelps ... "One Voice" with Gaither Vocal Band.

"Hold my hand all the way, every hour, every day, from here to the great unkown.
Take my hand, let me stand, where no one stands alone"

"Nessum Dorma" .... blows the crowd away every time.

"Child, when life don't seem worth livin'
Come to Jesus and let Him hold you in His arms."

Mark Lowry getting preachy before singing "Mary, Did You Know"

"He's Alive!  He's Alive!"

The grand finale with all the singers.


"I'll see the lights of Glory and I'll know He lives!"

 

It was an incredible experience - a superb concert, to say the least.  I'm thankful that my husband enjoys, not just bluegrass or blues, but Gaither-style music as well.  (and I enjoy bluegrass; as well .... we're both pretty eclectic when it come to musical tastes)

thankful, thankful, thankful

Thanksgiving 2012 wasn't the usual, rush-rush, dinner here-dinner there.  With the unknown of the situation with my aunt, we didn't make many plans and my mother's side of the family cancelled Thanksgiving plans.  I also didn't take too many pictures, but here is an attempt to document this year's Thanksgiving.

 

Thursday morning, Chris and I slept in a little.  Since I had no cooking obligations, we got up and got busy tackling projects, taking advantage of the time off.  Chris worked on his list and I worked on mine - cleaning the stove top, stove hood filter, oven, oven door glass, and under the refrigerator.  At lunch time, we headed to my grandparents, two miles away, for Thanksgiving lunch.  What a  delicious spread of turkey, dressing, cranberry salad, turnip greens, butterbeans, macaroni & cheese, sweet potato pies, banana pudding, and apple crisp.  We thoroughly enjoyed time with family - laughing together, talking about our baby, and telling stories on each other, etc.  Chris and I headed home just in time for a late afternoon nap.  After the refreshing nap, we tackled a few more projects on the to do lists, including making multiple trips in the attic - storing summer stuff and bringing down Christmas decor and a few baby items we had saved away.  Then we called it a day and ate junk food for dinner.

 

Friday, while Chris worked, I finished cleaning out the guest room to begin preparing baby's nursery and did the usual house cleaning.  That afternoon, our friends' little boys came to stay the night with us, so mom and dad could get-away for the weekend.  It was fun and definitely interesting to have little, energetic boys in the house ... they played and played with toys, we went out for Mexican for dinner, played some more, ate ice cream & cookies, and headed to bed.  I didn't sleep well ... restless, listening and checking on the boys, up and down, and wide away from 2-3am.

Saturday, I cooked a breakfast and we devoured eggs, grits, bacon, sausage, biscuits/toast, gravy, and pancakes.  After breakfast, after only being out of bed two hours, I asked Chris if he could watch the boys while I took a nap ... he obliged, only later to wish he hadn't when both boys had to use the restroom and needless to say, Chris got in some practice.  ;)  After my nap, we went to the park and McDonald's, then the boys went to stay with other friends.  Saturday afternoon, we grocery-shopped and then the Meadows family came over for the evening.

 

Sunday, after church, we had  another Thanksgiving lunch with Chris' immediate family - complete with turkey, dressing, green beans, rolls, sweet potato souffle, fruit salad, cheesecake, lemon pies, and butter pecan cake.   Needless to say, after a meal like that, we crashed for a long Sunday afternoon nap.  And after our Sunday evening church service, we enjoyed supper with the Meadows family again.

 

Although it wasn't a typical Thanksgiving holiday, we were thankful to spend time with our nearest and dearest, enjoy wonderful home-cooking, relax together, catch-up on much-needed projects, and reflect on all the blessings of our life, both big and small ... and being most grateful for the precious God-given blessing of our baby that we will be holding in our arms next Thanksgiving.

thirteen weeks

*the ruffles are a nice disquise :)

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 13 weeks
 

Size of baby: Peach (average size 2.9 inches and .81 ounce) Proportion-wise -- his/her head is now about 1/3 the size of his/her body.  Baby has vocal cords, teeth and even fingerprints (wow!).  His/her intestines are moving from the umbilical cord to their more permanent place, in the tummy.  {info found on The Bump}
 

Total Weight Gain/Loss: it appears that I've now gained 2 pounds -- probably Thanksgiving meals.  I will know exact weight/gain loss at doctor appointment this week.
 

Cravings: fruit salad, ham and cheese sandwiches, punch made with pineapple juice
 

Symptons: I continue to have some bouts of "feeling nauseous," but not really sick.  I did get sick twice this week while swallowing Tylenol for a cold.  I have been fighting a cold for over a week now.   Also, I am still loving sleep.  I took a nap this past Saturday morning after only being out of bed for 2 hours.
 

Sleep: I'm sleeping okay - except for trips to the bathroom and changing positions often.
 

Movement: Not yet, but I am looking forward to it
 

Gender: Can't wait to find out December 28th.
 

Maternity Clothes:   Elastic and stretch-fabric are my saving grace now!  Not ready for maternity clothes; but regular clothes with defined waists are uncomfortable.

 

What I miss:   Energy - I guess my body is really working hard on baby-making.

 

What I'm looking forward to:  OBGYN appointment this Wednesday
 

Best Moment this week:  Hearing family talk about the baby at Thanksgiving dinners.  Excitement is building!

sad hearts

My family is sad.  Our hearts are broken.  We are unsure how the holidays will unfold.
My aunt, my mom's eldest sister, is near the close life's journey.

Although we know this is an inevitable part of life and Heaven's joys awaits, it doesn't make it easier,
particularly for my Granny, who is losing a second child in less than two years.

We are thankful for peace, grateful to know that she will not suffer any more,
and happy to know that her battle against cancer will soon be won.
Please keep our family in your prayers over the next several days.

twelve weeks

(not really showing yet -- I just look like I've eaten one too many cookies or cheeseburgers, but I wanted to document the progress and see my belly grow)

 

Pregnancy Highlights

 

How Far Along: 12 weeks

 

Size of baby:  Plum (average size 2.1 inches and .49 ounce) -- Baby’s almost done developing his/her body’s important systems and parts, which means, it’s mostly about getting bigger and more mature from here on out.  Most of the critical systems are fully formed!  He/She is about to enter the growth and maturation stage, in which her organs and tissues will grow and develop rapidly. He/She's now developing her reflexes -- if you poke her body, he/she will likely move. He/She's opening and closing her fingers and curling her toes, too.  The brain is developing fast! {info found on The Bump}

 

Total Weight Gain/Loss: actually lost weight since pre-pregnancy weight

 

Cravings: Strawberries with whip cream, KFC potatoes and gravy, Ritz crackers with cheese, sausage and cheese rolls, and fruit salad

 

Symptons: I "feel" nauseous often, but this week, I've been actually "sick" only once - which is great!  I have some cramps and muscle pain, but nothing too bad. And I like to sleep a lot ... napping when I can, going to bed early, and going back to bed after I see Chris off each morning (he leaves at 6:15AM - I do not leave until 8:00AM or later).

 

Sleep: I'm sleeping okay - except for trips to the bathroom and changing positions often.

 

Movement: Not yet, but I am looking forward to it

 

Gender: Can't wait to find out December 28th.

 

Maternity Clothes: Not necessary yet; although my tummy is changing and some days I'm bloated - so any clothing that is slightly tight is uncomfortable. I should confess I did wear a maternity skirt one day. I had gotten it at a consignment sale and washed it  ... I tried it on and it was so comfortable that I decided to wear it!! But that has only been the one time and it wasn't "needed."

 

What I miss:  Energy - I guess my body is really working hard on baby-making.

 

What I'm looking forward to:  First appointment with OBGYN, November 28th

 

Best Moment this week:  Baby attending his/her first Gaither Homecoming concert.  Just wish he/she could've heard it - though, I'm sure he/she felt it from the 2nd row.  :)

randoms & confessions

I have a lot of random thoughts.  And these days, I'm doing some crazy things that are worth a laugh.

-Monday morning, on my way to work, I stopped for a drink and a pack of crackers.  As I was leaving the store, I realized all I had in hand was my phone, cash, drink, and pack of crackers -- yep, I had locked my keys in my car.  After a long ordeal of getting Chris' keys, I stepped out to get into my car and dropped my drink and it spilled all over the sidewalk.  Needless to say, my Monday didn't get off to a good start.

-My mom made me think when she said, "What if your baby had been in the car?"  (can you tell - this is not the first time I've had this happen?)  And I'm not an advocate of leaving babies in the car, but I had pulled right to the door of the store and was only grabbing a drink and crackers.  So, I made a note reminding myself to lock the door with the remote so that I know my keys are always in my hand when exiting the vehicle.

-Monday night we were in bed and most likely asleep by 9:00 PM.  What can I say, rough Mondays call for early bedtimes.

-This week I sold my first item on one of the Facebook used item sale group pages.

-I got these Dr. Brown bottles at a steal from several friends (all 25 bottles for less than $30).  I've already put them in the kitchen cabinet.  It's beginning to look like a baby is coming to live at our house.  :)

-Prior to becoming pregnant, I thought a lot of people too often used pregnancy as an excuse just to have an excuse.  Boy, was I wrong.  I am finding that a lot of those excuses are in fact legitimate.  "Pregnancy brain" is a real problem and your body does indeed feel totally different and energy is a thing of the past.

-I think Thumpy is catching on that big changes are ahead.  Over the past two weeks, we have transitioned her out of our bed.  Since I've dubbed Chris the "mean guy" and he is enforcing the new rule, her dog bed and blanket is placed on his side of the bed.  Tuesday morning, I woke up, and she had pulled her blanket to my side of the bed and was sleeping on my side.  She is quite the spoiled fur-baby.  This picture is the typical evening routine when Chris gets home from work.

-Every few weeks our ice maker "floods" and the water runs out of the fridge.  Anyone ever have this problem?

-I was going through a stack of paperwork and mail - found a bank envelope with $40 inside. What a nice surprise!

-I am already over cold weather.  I needed to go to Wal-Mart Tuesday night, but opted to wait simply because I didn't want to get out in the cold ... I'm ready for June for more reasons than just warm weather.  ;)

"graduation" appointment

October 26th, we had our last appointment with the fertility specialist.

The office calls it a "graduation" appointment; releasing me to my regular OBGYN.

We had a another ultrasound - 8 weeks, 5 days.

We could see a distinct body image with head and body and little arm and leg buds.

It was amazing to see how much our little baby had grown in just 2 weeks.

Baby's heart beat was 180BPM.

Everything still looks great and is measuring on track.

At one point, our doctor stopped moving the wand and said, "that's not me moving - that's your baby moving." - already a wiggle worm!!

We received a little packet and a onsie.

And of course, they took a "graduation" picture.  :)

We are two happy people!! (I didn't even have to bribe Chris to smile)  haha!
This appointment was early in the morning, which meant we had been up since 5:30AM, hence, the tired eyes.

brother's visit

 Because of Hurricane Sandy's mess in NYC, Kevin's office was closed last week for renovations.

So since he would be working from home anyway, Kevin flew in Tuesday morning and worked from mom's last week.

Mom, Chris, I picked him up in Charlotte.  (due to rain, Chris had the day off)

As always, Kevin wants to eat all his favorite meals of mom's and other "southern" spots, so our first stop was lunch at Zaxby's.  We also stopped in Gaffney briefly for a little shopping.

After arriving home, Chris and I went to vote - waited in line an hour!

Then we headed to mom's for another favorite meal - spaghetti and sweet potato pies.

Kevin's dog, Ava, who currently resides with mom was so happy to have Kevin there.

[sorry for the poor quality photos - I used my phone all weekend)

 

Wednesday we all had to work.  Kevin did come have lunch at my office with me and Heather.

Then there was church and supper at Los Amigos.

We love to tease mom that she only eats there when Kevin is in town.  (Mexican is not her favorite)

 

Thursday and Friday, Kevin spent time with friends in Clemson for Homecoming.

 

Saturday night, we ordered pizza and hung out at mom's ... but all ended crashing early after a long day.  Oh, and it should be noted this day, that my mom is now an owner of a smart phone - an Iphone!  It's quite entertaining to watch her learn the ropes.

 

Sunday was church.  My cousin, Leigh, and her family joined us for lunch at mom's.  Leigh's girls, L and A, absolutely love Kevin --- when he is in town, it's all about him.  They want to sit with him during church,  they want to ride in the car with him, and they fight over who gets to sit beside him.  I take the backseat when he is around.  LOL

For lunch, had a "Thanksgiving menu" (since Kevin will not be home Thanksgiving):  turkey, dressing, gravy, pintos, macaroni & cheese, yams, deviled eggs, rolls, fruit salad, tin roof brownies, sweet potato cobbler, and orange dreamsicle cake.  After lunch, we were all quite stuffed - it was scrumptious.  Sunday night, after church, we all came back for leftover turkey sandwiches and more laughs and fun.  And then it was time to say "Goodbye."  However, Christmas will soon be here!  YAY!  And then, of course, June will be a mandatory visit as well.  ;)

for the record

Just a little timeline with dates, numbers, and milestones from the beginning

 

Thursday, September 20th:  negative home pregnancy test (obviously tested too early)

 

Saturday, September 22nd:  "Thought" negative home pregnancy test @ 6:00 AM

 

Monday, September 24th:   Chris insisted that I test again at 5:45 AM -- POSITIVE!  Then, I dug the one from Saturday out of the garbage to discover an actual faint second line -  so it was actually positive! On Saturday, I had been half-asleep or didn't have my glasses on or didn't wait long enough for the 2nd line to appear or something. 
Called the doctor - scheduled blood draw for Tuesday.

 

Tuesday, September 25th:  Tested again - you know just to be sure -- positive!

Blood draw at 6:30 AM - thanks to an awesome, local phlebotomist.  I have always struggled with having blood drawn.  This sweet, patient lady allows me to lie down and talks with me, relaxing and calming my nerves.

 

Wednesday, September 26th:  Results from blood draw - Progesterone: 34 (which should be at least 20 or greater) and HCG Level:  282 (which should be at least 25 or greater)

Shared with our parents and siblings.

 

Thursday, September 27th:  Another blood draw (just to be sure HCG level is increasing) and I went alone!

Quick mini-photo shoot with Miranda.

 

Friday, September 28th:  Results from blood draw - HCG Level:  774.  (and I'll be honest, with the HCG number so high and over-doubling, nurses and friends' comments, and reading online, I got a little excited about the possibility of twins)

Sunday, September 30th:  5 weeks!
 

Thursday, October 4th:  Another blood draw (again just to be sure HCG level is increasing)

 

Friday, October 5th:  Results from blood draw:  HCG over 5,000.  I sort of panicked waiting on these results, because the doctor's office closed at noon and they didn't call me until 12:45 PM.  I thought I would be waiting all weekend until Monday to get the results. 

Sunday, October 7th:  6 weeks!
 

Friday, October 12th:  First ultrasound - one baby!  Doctor said everything looked great.  Measuring on track - 6 weeks, 5 days.  Heard the heartbeat - 120 BPM.  Received first "pictures" of our baby.

Sunday, October 14th:  7 weeks!  (Was sick for the first time this past week and three days straight.  Thankfully not sick all day, but I do "feel" nauseous and I don't have much of an appetite - purchased Sea Bands which really seemed to help with nausea)

Sunday, October 21st:  8 weeks!  Still only sick a few times.
 

Friday, October 26th:  Second ultrasound.  Everything still measuring on track and looked wonderful!  Heartbeat - 180 BPM.  Saw arms and legs - and our little one is a wiggle worm.  Released from fertility specialist to regular OBGYN.

Sunday, October 28th:  9 weeks!  Still only sick a few times.  Scheduled appointment with OBGYN.

Wednesday, October 31st:  Found out that pregnancy and delivery will be covered on insurance when Chris is eligible in December. I was concerned that this would be considered "pre-existing," but it is not. (PTL!)  Also, got a call from a dear friend - she is also expecting her first and is due just two weeks after me! Our babies will be playmates!  :)  I enjoy talking to her and sharing this experience together as "first-timers." 

Sunday, November 4th:  10 weeks!  (1/4 of the way through)  Wasn't sick at all this week; hopefully this is a good sign that this will be ending with the first trimester.

love at first sight

On October 12th, we had our first ultrasound at 6 weeks, 5 days.

What a beautiful sight to behold, even though I had to be explained all that was in the picture and baby doesn't really "look" like a baby just yet.

Everything measured great and looked just like it should.

Baby's heartbeat was 120bpm.

Chris and I are not very public with our emotions, but had the doctor and nurse not been in that room, I'm sure we would have cried many happy tears.  Tears actually came into my eyes; but I didn't boo-hoo like I could have.

We could have watched and listened to the heartbeat for hours and hours.

What an amazing moment - definitely love at first sight.  ;)